Coleman defries



@einen gisten @anni @fitta oo'LEMAN D Erarns, 'or LONDON1 ENGLAND.

Letters Patent No. 78,580, dated June 2, 1868.

IMPROVEMENTIYN Poor-LIGHTS Pon THBATRES. Y

"rov ALL WHOM IT MAY CONGERN:

Be it known that LCoLEMAN DEFRIES, ofthe rm of Jonas Defries it Sons, of No. 147 Houndsditch, in thecity of London, England, have inventedV an Imprved Foot-Light,` and I do hereby declare thatl the following `is a full andexactdescription thereof, reference vbeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereony -Figure 1 of the drawings being a front elevation of one of the sections or divisions of'my improved footelight, l

Figure 2 a cross-sectionof same at A B,Ag. 1,.and

Figure 3 showing detacheda reducing-joint, by whichthe foot is connected with a due, leading t0 the outside of the building- Similar letters denoting similar parts at each of the figuresY respectively.

A-indicates a .cast or wrought-iron framing or body, forming two hollow tubes or chambers, a a', and carry- `ing in the front a sash,`b, for the reception of a s heetor sheets of glass. 'Ihisnframing or body may be made in sections, of any desired length, butl I {indjtWo-feet lengths very suitable.

'lhe front of the'hollow tube or vitiated-air chamber, a, is wrought or cast inthe concave shape shown, ligt 2, or sloping backwards from the stage, at an angle regulated by the rake of this latter, and is coated or covered .with any suitable reflector. vThis ysection is supported inthe centre by the angle-iron or leg, c, and has at each 'end 'angleirons or flanges, (see tig. 2,) by which .-the sections are screwed or otherwise fastened together, to form, in combination, the length 'of float desired.V

` Above the top of eachsection, or of the combined sections, I place a plate, e, leaving a space between the top'of the body or box *4A andthis plate, for the introduction of sand or other heat-isolating material, or I leave this space free, and pierce the plate e .with holes, e', and the top 'of the Abody A. with holes, e, (see iig, 2,) for the introduction and exit of a current of cold air, asindicated by the arrows. When these boxes or sections A are placed in their properposition, and combined to form a foot-light, the tubes 'or chambers a a of one section will come in'a line with .those oi' the precedingjand succeeding sections, and, their` ends being open, two continuous tubes or chambers will be formed in the entire length of the oat. A

The top of the float rises from'three to fourinches above the rake of the stage, which, at about a foot from the float, is cut sloping down to the level of the bottom o f the chamber a, (see fig. 2.)

p B indicates the main gas-pipe, passing beneath thestage from one side to the other, nndf, branch-pipes', with burners rising within the frame formed by the front of a and the glass in b. Six of these burners are shown at lig.' 1, but vtheir .number will vary with the length ofthe section', and rother considerations.

It will be'observed'that each alternate burner is of thesame height, and that each succeeding one is of a different elevation; also, that Ibend my b1 anch-pipes backwards, following 'the Iline of the concave redector, but the branches might rise in a straight line from the'gas-pipe IB, although I deem it -less convenientt The tap, g, ofeachburnr, is placed near the junction of the pipes f and B, in order that they may, if desired, bev easily reached from beneath the stage. The glassV in front of'the burners may rise to the topl of the frame b, and air-bc supplied to the burners through an opening left between the top of Athe frame Z1 vand theitop plate e,

' -or the glass may risc only to within an inch or two of the top of the frame 6, as may be desired. The burners are alsosupplied with oxygen through the open bottomJL. indicates the bottom line of the reiiector, which may be cnamelled on.v the wrought or cast-iron-frame or body A, or beV a separate piece, made of any material commonly used for reilecting light. j indicates slits orropcuings, through' which the vitiated airis drawn into the tube a, and iig.2, indicates an opening,(ol which there are several to each section by which the 'vitiated airpasses from a to a', i

I would here observe, that although I haveishown von the drawing twol chambers or tubes for vitiate'd air,

in many cases a will be sufficient of itself to carry off'the heated air, but -in such case the angle-iron onleg c will be made longer, and of the shape most convenient for the fixing of the apparatus. I

' C, fig. l, indicates the position .of a' reclucing'pieee, 'shown vseparately at iig. 3,4by which the chamber a' .is connected to aniiron lue-pipe, C', in communication with the'outer air. F, gas-burner, for creating `a curreut of air when the ioat is first lit up. Insteadofan iron flue-pipe, a brick one kwill be built wheredesirable, or an existing Hue be used,'the shape ot` the jointC being altered to suit the spe-cial requirements oil the locality.

If only one vitiated-air .chamber b e used, the joint orreducingfpiece Q will be connected at one end to the end of the chamber a at-its bottom orside, and by the other end with the brick .ue or iron pipe C', D D',

zgs. 1 and 2, arebrackets, assisting in supporting the sections, and carrying at their lower endsrsockets Z, in which is received an iron barreleshafa E,'which revolves on-thc brackets'D, in bearings indicated by m,.iig. 2.

n areset-screws, for lsecuring the shaft E in the sockets l.

' At each of the brackets D D', and .zt-teach section threughout'the full length of the iloat, the'shaf't E carries a grooved roller, over' which passes the endless chain v0,'carried, also, on- Athe pulleyp, at the top of the' body or -t`rame A. Y

are metal tubes, attached to theendless chains, and carr in the tamm colored lass mediums orother- 9 9 y g Y g tn aterahjr', hg. 2, bywhich colored lghtis thrown over the stage'.v The shaft E passes through the sockets I lfrom side toside ofthe stagepas do thetubes g q'. v Instead'cf b eing raised and flowered by an endlessl chain, as shoivn, the inecliums might ride in grooved iuprights, each medium lifting' by a separate chain'v or cord, like a windowin its sash, butI prefer the arrangement shown.

-The shaftE carries-al. ily atene ond, and agrooved pulleyat the other, this latter cai'rying'aband, passing to ja driving-pulley driven vby a'crankin the prompters box, or the driving-pulleymay be over thc middle of the shaft if the prompters box v'be in the front centre of the stage.

letto-1t 4anti Advantages of' my Improved Foot-Light. The e'ectef having thelgurn-rsfan alternating height, as shown,' is that the lightfrom Othe highest'row offjets is cast almosthoriz-ontally over the stage, whilethat from-fthelower row is thrown more vertically, the

Bhapeof the concave reflector assisting'greatly in this disposition ofthe ligl 1t,`whichdisposition'niay bemodied by varying the relative height f the two rows ofjets, andthe angle of the' reflector, whether concave or a'simple inclined plane.v B y covering the space between the top of the. relector and that of the sash b with talc, or

4 analogous-material, in lieu o f the `rfront of top plate e, I canthrowa soft light vertically and still further pref ventall shadow, but I am of opinion that the'arraugementshowncnthedraivingwill be found quite suicient for this purpose. I v i' The effect ofl my arrangement of air-chamber or chambers a and a'," in connection .with the pipe or flue C', is as follower '-A I. I i v When the burners are 4first .lit up, that, F,'lig. 3, is also lit', and establishes a draught which' draws the vitiated air' fromthespacebetween thercilector and the glass through the-slitsiyfinto chamber gz, from thence,

by the openings-Infinito, chamber-agend, vsieren' through thel reducing-j ointfto the" flue Q', (asndicated by the" arrows.) As before stated,'.the hot'airmaybe drawn directlyfroln the chamber a, to the shaft C'fif it be found' inconveu'ientto have 'two 'sl1 'a 1nbers.A The coolness-of the entire apparatus is further increased by the cold airA sucked in through the orices e and el'g `-'By"the'se means n het or' unwholesome air or vapor passes to the required.'

stage or auditorium, and the health ndeonJ-fort'of actors' and audience are preserved.

The sheet onsheet'sot'- glassin'the sasligb are-not only necessary Vto my system of ven tilat ion, but they also do away with thepo'ssiblity of' the lamefrom the burners reaching'the'dressof the'actor or actress, and perw mit the use of ordinary ishtails in lieu ofthe egpensive la'rgand-burn'ers hitherto. used, nochiinneys' being The simplicity and convenient working of my irnpiov'ed'.arrangement of colorednmedinmsnvill be readily i understood. I The'prompter, or other fun'ctionary, by turning a crank 'placed in his. -or at the sigle of the stage, in one direction, causes the endlesschains oto revolve, and 'carry up infront of the float the medium g,

4deem most simple and expeditious'.

that, g', lowering, and lay-reversing the motion he cause-s that, g,t o` lowerand g to rise to the position'showmg.

2of' thedrawitlg, 0l' f1.0 Apassy and rise' in' front of the-foot-lightsi.' `This may be done by separate chains orI Y ropes, 'and themediums rise in'an upright l`ran1e,-'grooved a window-sash, but theI'arrangenient shown. I

Having thus described'thenaturelof -iny said inventiomand' the means by which I carry it inte-practical electfIvwould have itlunderstoodthatl do' n'dt'c'onne myself' to the use of lany particular material, or to any precisejdimensions-of parts in the construction of'my-irqproved foot-light, no r'to any size of float, varying? the same, as may be found niostsuitable to thef circumstances of each particular case, andalthough I prefer'making my float in sections of' tivo feet or thereabont, as' being' more" handyfor removal-and fitting, nevertheless I may `make the entireoat o f s'hetlir'on, and build it on thc spot,: and whether-made in sections'of wrought'or of ear-itz iron, or builtup on thespot, there maybe either ,one-or two chambersor vitiated-air conduits, as may be'f'ound most s uited to the'localitygl-Aneitherdo I- absolutely confine myself `to the u'se'of' an ondlesschain form-rising or lowering the mediums, asshoivn on'thedrawin'g, as this Amay-also bedone by separate cords-or chains raising the mediums ingrooveduprightajand .other modifications may be madein my improved fot-light without" sub' stantially departingfrom principle of itsconstruction.r

I do not elaim the exclusive use ofA any of the parts of my improved foot-light taken as pares), and not used' in combination or for the purposes. of my invention; but

The exclusive use of :1.11 improvedvfoot-light, constructeclan'd arranged substantially as herein described, and shown on the accompanying sheet ofdrwing, whether the mechanism for raising and lowering colored mediums be vor be not applied thereto.

' COLEMAN DLEFRIES,

147 Houndsdz'tck, London,

Witnesses: v

WILLIAM HENRYVUNDERWOOD, 1 Gospel Terrace, Highgate Road, London. JOHN GEDGE, 11 'Wellington Street, Strand, London. 

